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As long as we live in a global economy we will be hungry for oil. A global economy depends on shipping goods around the world, and for that to work you need a h
by baron_harkonnen 7y ago
As long as we live in a global economy we will be hungry for oil. A global economy depends on shipping goods around the world, and for that to work you need a high energy density fuel source, and there is really no alternative nearly as good as oil.
This isn't about SUVs or consumer air travel. The world will need oil for cargo transport to sustain the trade necessary to maintain our economic way of life. Hydrocarbons are high energy density which is an essential property because otherwise your fuel becomes your cargo.
The problem isn't SUVs, it's the fact that your local grocery store has bananas shipped from 10,000 miles away for $0.59/lb. The only way you can make that happen is with oil. All the neat stuff you have shipped to your door from Amazon requires oil. Even if you buy your coffee from a local store and it's roasted by your neighbor it took oil to get it to you.
We could have a 100% renewable grid and we would still need to use hydrocarbons to support global economy
- jlawson 7y agoIs there any technological reason we couldn't use nuclear-powered container ships? They're the same general scale as nuclear aircraft carriers. Trains can also be electric and powered by a third-rail type system. Trucks and drones can be electric. Obviously there are political barriers but if it really came down to this or the end of sea shipping I suspect those barriers could be overcome.
- greglindahl 7y agoNuclear reactors on ships require bomb-grade uranium fuel and an elite crew of masters-degreed engineers to run them.
- 74ls00 7y agoContainer ships can run on hydrogen